Colorful Christmas Salad

I’m in Portland for a couple days, celebrating early Christmas with my family. (Yes, that is a U of O football ornament front and center. Every single person in our family was a Duck for at least a quarter and we have high hopes for the National Championship game).

Around here, Christmas means cookies…
more cookies…
snow (which fortunately didn’t stick!)
gingerbread houses
candles from when my mom was a kid (not sure why they look so creepy here)
and maybe some more cookies

As much as I love stuffing myself with cookies (my sister made all of them and she is an insanely good baker), sometimes I just need vegetables. And look, they can be festive too!

I first made this salad for my work Christmas part and although it’s pretty basic, it’s delicious and brightly colored and perfect for Christmas (even if the tomatoes aren’t exactly seasonal. Oops). I have a basil plant in my kitchen so it was easy to include fresh basil, but I realize that can be a challenge this time of year so it’s not absolutely necessary.Recipe: